


I Can Ground You

by sonofabitch_awesome



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel Comforts Dean, Dean Has Nightmares, Destiel - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, One-Shot, Random & Short, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 12:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3610938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonofabitch_awesome/pseuds/sonofabitch_awesome
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sort of experimental. Castiel grounds Dean after a disturbing, but un-remembered, nightmare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Can Ground You

**Author's Note:**

> So, this… I don’t know what this is. I was gonna have it be at the end of a PWP I’m currently working on, but it felt like it took away from the emotions of the story (I try to make my porns have a lot of FEELS, haha) to have Dean have a nightmare that same night. Hence, this.
> 
> I incorporated Sunsetgate because how could I _not_? :D

**I Can Ground You**

Something is holding him. Actually, no, wait, scratch that – someone is shaking him.

Dean blinks several times, sleep blurring his view of Cas’s concerned face above him. The leftover disturbing feeling from his dream slowly ebbs back to make room for reality.

“Dean? Dean!” Cas says anxiously, his grip on Dean’s upper arms a little tight. “Wake up! Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Dean says blearily, coughing and watching the last of the fuzziness in front of his eyes dissipate. “Yeah, I, uh… I’m okay.”

“You were having a nightmare,” Cas tells him, relaxing his grip only slightly. “I—I couldn’t wake you, at least not ri-right away.” He actually looked more freaked than Dean is right now.

Dean grabs both sides of Cas’s face and pulls him down into a kiss. “I’m _all right_ ,” he says again, refusing to admit how on edge he still is. The details are lost now, but the fact is that whatever the dream was about, it definitely left him with an unsettled, creeped out feeling.

Cas narrows his eyes. “I can _hear_ how fast your heart’s going. Don’t do this.”

“Fine.” Dean takes a small breath. “I don’t remember what happened, though, so we can’t exactly discuss it—”

“No, but I can ground you,” Cas cuts in. He rubs his thumbs back and forth on Dean’s biceps. “What can you hear? Right now? Tell me everything you hear.”

_Nothing_ , Dean’s about to say. _Just us talki—_ And then he realizes that he can hear the white noise machine Cas keeps on his nightstand, turned so low he hadn’t been aware of it until now. “Um, waves and stuff from your machine.”

“Good. What else?”

“My own voice, and yours.” Dean listens again. “The fan.” Cas must have gotten out of bed to turn it on just for this.

“Good,” Cas repeats. “Now, what do you feel? Touch, I mean.”

“Um… the sheets,” Dean begins. “Your hands on my arms. The blankets over us. My foot’s sticking out and the fan’s blowing over my foot.” He pulls it back under the covers as he speaks. “And your legs against mine.”

Cas nods. “What do you see?”

“You, dumbass,” Dean says with a smirk, unable to resist.

Cas rolls his eyes. “Besides me. List five objects you can see without moving your head.”

“Okay, whatever…” Dean’s gaze flickers past him, realizing absently that his heart rate is steadying. “Your night stand, the white noise machine, the clock…” It’s 3:47 AM. “A picture frame on the wall. And your dresser.”

“Pick one and describe it,” Cas orders.

Dean looks at the photo frame again. “The picture,” he says. “It’s one of those black Walmart frames that has room for two photos, and it says _Family_ in the middle. The top one is a picture of you and me and Sam from the day you moved in. Sam’s pulling a face, I look way too serious, and you’ve got your chin on my shoulder. The bottom one, Sam took it. It’s you and me looking at a sunset, our arms around each other’s shoulders and backlit.”

“Dean.” He meets Cas’s gaze. “How are you? Better?”

He nods. “I am. This worked.”

Cas smiles. “I’m glad, Dean. I know I can’t keep the nightmares from happening anymore, but I’m still here. And I’ll still be here for you.”

“Sap,” Dean scoffs, fighting a grin. He exhales. “Thanks, Cas.” He presses their lips together.

This time, when they settle in for sleep, Dean lets Cas be the big spoon. It seems to calm him down as much as it does Dean. And with Cas’s arms around him, he feels safer, somehow.


End file.
